Porsche Boxster 2016 S v Jaguar F-Type 2016
has almost become a landmark moment in our evolution as humans. A neat title to slot in after all that complex
baby
has almost become a landmark moment in our evolution as humans. A neat title to slot in after all that complex
baby
child, teenager, adult transition stuff
The midlife crisis
More than just a Faith No More song, it’s a chance, once the children are relatively self-sufficient, the career trajectory is on a clear path and ideally there is a bit of equity in the family home, to put the focus back on yourself for what might not be a particularly smart decision
You know the drill, buying a carbon composite road bike to just hang out and drink coffee, hiring a pool boy when you don’t have a pool, or just going out and buying a fun, convertible sports car
If the midlife crisis sports car has a traditional mascot, then it has to be a Porsche. In our case it is the 1016 Porsche 718 Boxster S which has a starting price of $140,100 (before options and on road costs)
But conversely, tradition isn’t for everyone and we counter the more obvious Porsche with something a bit more brash and left of center, the 2016 Jaguar F-Type V6-S which lists at $170,106 (before options and on road costs)
Style and Design New
Looking at the pair of two_seat roadsters, either would make a fine choice to replace the wagon in the garage
Finished in classic white (a no cost option) with a black soft top, the Porsche is the more understated of the two
The black leather interior is a standard selection, but the classy carbon-fibre trim is a $3890 option, as are the embossed
Porsche logos on the headrests ($590)
It’s clean, clinical and relatively spartan in the Porsche. There is good storage for a little roadster, but the materials are quite cold in the way they feel
It’s a smart looking car, top up or down, and the 718 will deploy a small rear wing automatically at speed or at the touch of a button inside the cabin
You get a 120-litre boot in the nose, and a second 140-litre boot in the, well, boot
With the Jaguar, the Ammonite grey paint is a $3890 option, and the beige convertible top (which we’d probably go without) is $830 extra
Our car features the extended Exterior Sport Design Pack ($3750) which colour-matches the sills, elements of the rear diffuser and other aero parts
The final leading edge of the rear deck deploys as a spoiler and like the Porsche can operate automatically or via a button on the console
A two-tone interior never goes astray, so the Cirrus leather and Jet dash with contrast stitching makes the Jag look a lot more special than the Porka. It’s not all roses though, as some touchpoints around the infotainment switch gear feels light and cheap, but in general the cabin has a more classy character to it
For example, at night the lighting design goes from white and orange to red when you switch into sport mode
We have to say, the Jaguar is a top-down car. With the roof in place it looks a little goofy, and the coupe variant is just
stunning if you are not a wind-in-the-hair person
And pack light, as the Jag’s boot is a slim 158-litres, in a long but shallow configuration that doesn’t seem to fit any bag that you own
It’s strange as the F-Type looks much bigger than the 718, but it is only 91mm longer (3470mm) and is actually 71mm thinner than the Porsche (2994mm). It does carry a bit more weight though
And by a bit more, I mean a lot more; there’s a 434kg penalty to the Jaguar. That’s a whopping 31 per cent increase over the Porsche, and something that starts to feel a bit more obvious when we get underway
Put mildly, the Jaguar looks fantastic and certainly turns heads more than the Boxster, which is just another white Porsche to most passers-by
We really like the clean lines of the 718 but a midlife crisis isn’t a time to fade into the background, so the Jaguar takes this round
Powertrain
Sports cars are all about conveying a sense of driving enjoyment, and both our contenders deliver on that count
New for 2016, the 3.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged Boxster S had to prove to the purists that it was capable of proper Porsche performance despite using the dark-art of small capacity and forced induction to replace the familiar 3.4-litre flat-six
With 257kW and 520Nm, the 718 ‘S claims more power than all but the stonking 3.8-litre Boxster Spyder before it. The midship mounted, compact boxer-four delivering peak torque from 1920 to 4500rpm and topping out power at a screaming 6500rpm
It is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch PDK (Doppelkupplung) transmission ($4990 option) driving the rear-wheels, which allows both relaxed automatic driving as well as self-shifting from the alloy paddles on the steering wheel
The big cat heads a more traditional route of a front-mounted 3.0-litre supercharged V6 with 280kW and 460Nm on tap
It too drives the rear wheels and offers peak power at the same 6700rpm mark, but a narrower torque-band from 3500 through to 5000rpm
There’s an eight-speed single-clutch automatic transmission in the Jaguar that again gives the option of automatic or self-shifting, but has plastic paddles to pull on.
Each car features a sports exhaust for some extra theatre, which is standard on the Jag and a $5330 option on the Porsche. The Boxster also has the Sport Chrono package ($4990) which, when in Sport+ mode, improves throttle response, increases shift times and even offers a launch-control program
Putting all this together though, when considering the mass of each car, gives the Porsche the power-to-weight edge at 195kW/t against the Jaguar at 161kW/t
Rolling Stock New
Getting all that power to the ground requires some clever technology, and by standard rule of thumb, you can’t show up to that school reunion on stock wheels; so each car has been dealt a serving of style and substance
Porsche’s torque vectoring system (PTV) is a $2190 option and helps the Boxster maintain stability when cornering, particularly under brakes. The system includes a locking rear differential
The Jaguar’s torque vectoring and limited-slip differential package is $2060, and essentially manages vehicle rotation in the same manner, by braking the inside wheels as needed to help the car turn-in with more precision
Both cars have 20-inch wheel options, the Tornado option on the F-Type adding $3500 to the asking price, and the Carrera Classics pushing the Porsche’s price up a further $4130
The Jaguar offers sports-suspension with variable damping settings as part of the standard S-Package, where the Porsche needs the PASM (active suspension) option box ticked for another $2710. This does lower the car by 10mm and provide two-levels of suspension activity though
It’s a close race at this point, in terms of handling hardware, so we’ll call it a tie
Price and Equipment New
At this end of the market, the starting price is very much that. Think of this as an auction where an eager bidder throws in a price to kick things off, only to have the final sale settle much, much higher
Both cars, as you can tell by now, have extensive option lists – and neither are really scratching the surface of what is available
Personalisation elements on cars like this are fine, but the $1690 premium charged for front and rear parking sensors and rear-view camera on the Porsche is a little rich
The Jaguar takes its fair share of liberties too, with our car needing an extra $2100 spent to get memory powered seats and folding mirrors, and a further $4450 for the adaptive xenon headlamps
Neither car has heated seats as standard (a bit of a must for a convertible) with the Jaguar optioning these in at $1450. You have to spend an extra $620 for a digital radio tuner in the F-Type, too
Fortunately, to enjoy the crisp digital airwaves, the Jag runs a ten-speaker Meridian sound system from factory, where just a basic six-speaker stereo is fitted to the Porsche. You can upgrade to a $2650 BOSE or $8790 Burmeister one if that is your thing though
Electrically adjustable seats, satellite navigation and obviously a power-folding roof are standard on both cars though, but it’s a pretty short list of crossover points
Keyless entry and push-button start, something you get on a $20,000 Holden Cruze, is still an option on the Porsche
Value here is very subjective given the more personal nature of the cars. At pure list price, the cars have a $33,000 or 23 per cent variance in favour of the less-expensive Boxster
Road New
But a midlife crisis isn’t necessarily about making a sensible decision, and for every place the Porsche says no, the Jaguar says yes. And then shouts and sets off a small explosion
It’s the Oscar to the Porsche’s Felix. Carefree Balki moving in on straight-laced cousin Larry
The Boxster is faster, lighter, more accurate, and cheaper. But the Jaguar doesn’t care. This is a car you step out of smiling, every single time. If the ticket to your midlife happy place is loud noise and a silly grin, then it’s the Jaguar for you
To give this context, my partner in midlife crime for the comparison was Trent Nikolic (above), who came into the game reeling off facts and figures about the Porsche, but ended up heading home with the Jag
I’ll leave you with his thoughts
cars
“Where the Porsche Boxster S is a precision instrument, the Jaguar F-Type S is a wrecking ball”, said Trent. “Think of the difference between a scalpel and a meat cleaver. They both get the job done, but there’s a messier amount of accuracy and finesse missing in the hack job you’ll get from the cleaver
“That’s not to say bludgeoning your way through things isn’t enjoyable though and that’s where the F-Type has you grinning like a loo
“I’ve really only chosen the F-Type here because I simply don’t have enough opportunity day-to-day to really hook in. That means for me, the Boxster’s true brilliance wouldn’t be extracted enough
“I’d rather tool around at the speed limit, sounding like I’m doing 320km/h and looking like a million bucks in the Jaguar. It’s that whole ‘rat with a gold tooth’ theory. Rest assured though, whichever direction your midlife crisis takes you, these he ageing process
PORSCHE 718 BREAKDOWN New
JAGUAR F-TYPE BREAKDOWN New
